Friday, October 30, 2015

Love at First Bite: Le Petit Soufflé

[Disclaimer: This blog will be longer than usual as we were
fed really well by the generous team behind the charming Le Petit Soufflé.]

I get so giddy and thrilled
whenever I receive goodie packages from Looloo. I emailed P to say thanks but her
reply thrilled me even more… she invited me to one of the eat-up events
of Looloo. Woohoo! After 4 months of reviewing, I finally got an invite to one
of their fun events where foodies meet fellow foodies who are patient enough to
allow you to take few, scratch that, several snapshots of the dishes served. And
the best part of the eat- up was that it was in a restaurant that I’ve always
wanted to visit. (I tried twice and failed twice to dine there!)Yes, it’s Le Petit Soufflé!!!

Hi, Le Petit Soufflé!

The charming and
aesthetically pleasing restaurant is now a few months old and it still gets
packed with hungry diners.

That only proves that this restaurant is not all cutesy
furniture and interiors and that it serves delectable dishes.

During the eat-up, we got a
chance to meet the brilliant minds behind the restaurant—Miko Aspiras, Charles Paw
and Kristine Lotilla. They mentioned that the inspiration
behind the restaurant is the fact that Japanese are so fascinated with French
cuisine hence the play of French and Japanese ingredients to whip up
mouthwatering dishes. They also mentioned the use of greens to make the dishes
look “alive”. And I guess healthy.

First served was the
Tropical Basil and Cucumber drink (PHP350, carafe). Despite its dark color, it
was not that sweet and in fact, it's refreshing. I liked the tinge of basil and the
coolness of mint leaves. (Since this was first to arrive, it preoccupied us for
more than 10 minutes, taking photos of all possible angles.

The savory dishes started to
be served one after another.

Let’s start with the Kinoko
Frites (PHP235).

These deep fried enoki and
oyster mushrooms toasted in matcha salt are so addicting. Who would have
thought that fried fungi would be this good? Don’t forget to dip it in tonkotsu
mayo. It makes it even more delightful. Careful though with the thicker parts
for it could give an oily surprise!

The Cheesy and Matcha Puffs
(PHP175) reminded some of us of fish balls with its flat round shape. It was
pretty much just like flavored bread with a hint of cheese and matcha. I guess
it’s a good and light way to start your meal but I wasn't that crazy over this
one.

The Sesame Crusted Tuna
Salad (PHP345) was perhaps the most photogenic savory dish served. The seared
tuna loin was so inviting that it made me salivate while taking photos of it.
Thank goodness I did not drool. The garden greens, shimeji mushrooms, tobico
and bonito flakes, topped with sesame wasabi dressing added more color to the
dish. Sadly, I wasn’t able to try it. *Insert
ugly cry here.*

Team Clingy was raving about
the Japanese Beef Curry Soufflé (PHP525) and most if not all of them said that
it was their favorite dish in Le Petit Soufflé. It made my expectation higher
and when I got to taste it, it was pretty good. In fact, I’m willing to order
this when I visit again. It was the type of curry that is "curry-me-no-likey" friendly. The curry taste was definitely there but it wasn’t
overwhelming. The nicely cooked cheese soufflé was a great complement to the
thinly sliced US beef mixed with Japanese rice and curry sauce.

As a noodle lover, the
Vegetarian Soba Pasta (PHP345) caught my eye. Made of buckwheat soba mixed with
shimeji, zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper in delectable shoyu sauce, this
dish is a winner! Serving size though is not that much and could only be good
for one to two.

Another dish that deserves
the spotlight was the Foie GrasMac and Cheese (PHP755). This awesome dish
(wait, did I mention awesome yet?) was soooo good! It’s a must-order even if you’re
not a fan of foie gras. The mac and cheese was oozing with flavor and it was a
cheese person’s dream. Sharp, tangy, cheesy piece of heaven. Munch on some Hungarian
sausage slices for some contrast in flavor.

I had a lot of squid ink
dishes before and Le Petit Soufflé’s Squid Ink Rice (PHP395) was good but
nothing spectacular. Well, we can’t expect everything to be superb right?

One thing to note was that they used fresh seafood with this dish. Oh, and shimeji
mushrooms made yet another appearance. Le Petit Soufflé must love this
ingredient.

I wasn't really attracted to the Truffled Mushroom Hambagu (PHP595) despite its truffle cream. I had a few bites and yes, it didn't stand out. (Maybe it could have if I ate it before the Foie Gras Mac and Cheese or the Japanese Beef Curry.)

After trying all the savory
dishes, I started to munch on French Toast (PHP295). It is Le Petit Soufflé’s signature
brioche French toast served with maple syrup and whipped cream and it is worthy
to be called a signature dish. It was soft, light on the palate and simply
lovely. You can even enjoy it as is sans maple syrup and whipped cream.

When Le Petit Soufflé served
the sweet endings, I felt like Gretel being fattened with sweets. I was
overwhelmed with the choices they gave us. And with foodies, we do not know the
word “choice”. We do not choose. We try them all!

The Matcha Soufflé Pancake
had a nice light matcha taste. Dashed with icing sugar and matcha powder, it
was a sight that could capture your tummy. It is at its best with crème Anglaise
(light pouring custard).

On the other hand, the
Classic Soufflé Pancake reminded me of bibingka. It has this similar fluffy texture and it made me crave for salted
eggs.

And speaking of salted eggs,
one of the other deserts served that night were parfaits and one was the Salted
Egg Caramel Parfait (PHP195).

Not everyone liked this one
as it was not your usual dessert. A mix of vanilla custard and salted egg
custard with caramel sauce, peanut brittle and almond dacquoise (cake), it was
something that took us a bit of time to appreciate. It was good though with the
classic soufflé pancake. It was an unexpected Christmas treat!

I loved the Matcha Parfait (PHP195)!
The matcha custard base softee was yummy and it was made even more interesting with
the Valrhona Equatoriale 55% crumbs, adzuki beans, jelly and mocha for texture.
And just like the first parfait, this one had two chocolate pretzels too.

I wasn’t able to note down
the Watermelon Cake’s price but it was also one of the least popular desserts
that night. I was surprised that it was salty but I was told that they could
have put some salt on the watermelon for contrast with the chiffon cake. Hmm…
that’s possible.

Another dish I failed to take note of was the Manchego Cheese Cake. It had a nice sharp tangy cheese taste. But for as something to end my meal, it was a bit too flavorful.

Aside from the Valrhona darkchocolatesoufflé, one other sweet that caught my attention was the Matcha
Custard Base Softee (PHP95). Charles P. said that it is one of Le Petit Soufflé’s
underrated items and I agree. This one is awesome! Rich matcha taste! It was
sweet yet not too sweet to the point that you’ll question if it’s still matcha
or not.

Overall, it was an amazing
dining experience. The dishes were great and just writing it down makes me want
to go back now. Again, thank you, Le Petit Soufflé! Thank you, Looloo, for the
wonderful night!

Le Petit Soufflé is located at 3rd Floor, Century
City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue corner Salamanca St. Barangay Poblacion, Makati City.

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Who am I?

I'm your local foodie who goes crazy whenever I hear or read the words salmon, prosciutto, and foie gras. I drool every time I get a sniff of coffee and chocolates. And I'm at my happiest state when I get to bike around a park and be one with nature.
I'm a lover of food and travel. And one of the things I love to do most abroad is to visit supermarkets!
I love to explore the world, one bite at a time.
Get in touch with me at whatmaryloves.blog@gmail.com. :)